Hong Kong and Vacation Withdrawl Syndrome
I just got back from five days in Hong Kong with my roommate and another friend, and my mind is still reeling from the great city. I miss it. It wasn't the nightlife or entertainment opportunities that impressed me so much (though they appear great), but it's resemblance to a city in the Western world. And not just any city, but a fantastic city. It has an amazing amount of green space, both wild and cultivated, for any urban area. But when you consider that Hong Kong is an island and one of the most densely populated areas in the world, you realize that those green spaces are literally sitting on billions and billions of dollars worth of land. Green space that people in Hong Kong have made a conscious effort to protect, and it makes a huge difference how one feels in the city.
The city is well planned and easy to get around. It's an old city with early British influence that shaped the city as it steadily grew. In contrast, Shanghai's roads are like a pile of cooked noodles where it's common for parallel roads to intersect, major roads to dead end, and heavily traveled thoroughfares to be only two lanes of traffic choked with scooters, peddlers, carts, bikes, wondering pedestrians, holes, and chaos. Which brings me to my next point, the drivers and pedestrians in Hong Kong actually follow the traffic laws instead of believing in no rules, free right turns at red lights, and yielding to no one.
The rest of the residents in Hong Kong are vastly different than those in mainland China. They don't spit, they don't push, they don't talk loud on their cell phones while in the subway or coffee shop. I want to say they dress better and have better taste in music and culture, but that's incredibly eurocentric, so I'll say their tastes are more Western instead. Which is the crux of my argument here; I prefer Western cities. I feel more at home, obviously. And there are a lot of those difference that if changed, would be improvements in Shanghai, but many of them would just be culture differences. And though you can't say one culture is better than the other, it's really hard not to believe it.
Right now, it's became clear to me that I am living in a city for it's economic benefit to me, and that is what leads to my improved lifestyle. And as I save money, I'm even headed toward an improved future. But it would be nice if the city itself could be the source of some of that happiness. Maybe this is a sign that I need to lead and even more Western lifestyle here. But ironically, living a more Western lifestyle in Shanghai invariably leads to spending much more money for those comforts, so I would save less. The very reason I justify staying here.
I'm confused, and I think I need a trip home.
The city is well planned and easy to get around. It's an old city with early British influence that shaped the city as it steadily grew. In contrast, Shanghai's roads are like a pile of cooked noodles where it's common for parallel roads to intersect, major roads to dead end, and heavily traveled thoroughfares to be only two lanes of traffic choked with scooters, peddlers, carts, bikes, wondering pedestrians, holes, and chaos. Which brings me to my next point, the drivers and pedestrians in Hong Kong actually follow the traffic laws instead of believing in no rules, free right turns at red lights, and yielding to no one.
The rest of the residents in Hong Kong are vastly different than those in mainland China. They don't spit, they don't push, they don't talk loud on their cell phones while in the subway or coffee shop. I want to say they dress better and have better taste in music and culture, but that's incredibly eurocentric, so I'll say their tastes are more Western instead. Which is the crux of my argument here; I prefer Western cities. I feel more at home, obviously. And there are a lot of those difference that if changed, would be improvements in Shanghai, but many of them would just be culture differences. And though you can't say one culture is better than the other, it's really hard not to believe it.
Right now, it's became clear to me that I am living in a city for it's economic benefit to me, and that is what leads to my improved lifestyle. And as I save money, I'm even headed toward an improved future. But it would be nice if the city itself could be the source of some of that happiness. Maybe this is a sign that I need to lead and even more Western lifestyle here. But ironically, living a more Western lifestyle in Shanghai invariably leads to spending much more money for those comforts, so I would save less. The very reason I justify staying here.
I'm confused, and I think I need a trip home.